Leg-itimate reasons
by Adorereading
Summary: Mike predicts the weather... cold weather to be specific, usually snow. And that never ends well for Mike.
1. Prologue

**So, I've noticed that in Season 1, episode 8- (and later found out in more episodes as I knew what to look for) Mike has a pair of crutches standing against his wall. And I just felt the need to have that explained. So, let's go.**

 _The day before_

" _Go home, kid. Get some sleep. We can do this in the morning." Harvey said as he'd noticed Mike yawning for the 3_ _rd_ _time now- and any more Redbull or coffee was for no person healthy. He'd also noticed that Mike had been getting more and more restless, not sitting still and shifting his position, during the evening or should he say night? Seeing as it was already 01:30 a.m._

 _Mike glanced up at Harvey, "What? We still have like at least 3 boxes of files to go through. And we've got court in the morning." He replied with a frown. "We haven't found our … yet."_

 _Harvey knew Mike could continue going, but the puppy was tired- and he knew from experience, a tired puppy was grumpy puppy- and quite frankly, Mike's fidgeting was starting to get on Harvey's nerves even more so than usual. So, Harvey knew what to do and that was to be brutally honest and perhaps a bit of a dick. He glared at his associate and said, "Mike, go home. You're tired and I've got no use for you when your brain isn't running on all cylinders- especially since you can't seem to sit still for more than two minutes and to be honest- it's starting to annoy me. I'll go through these files and fill you in in the morning- when you're awake."_

 _Mike frowned back at Harvey and his words, but decided to keep his commentary to himself. He was tired and for the past few hours, he just couldn't find a position to sit still in- even though Harvey and him had moved towards the couch and chairs in Harvey's office a long time ago. Mike sighed, marked the file with a colorful tab and carefully threw it onto the coffee table. Standing up- his right leg whined at him. Before he could filter his thoughts, Mike said, "Yeah, I guess I should head home. It's probably going to snow tomorrow." And that's when he realized he was more tired than he thought; because who in their right minds would suddenly start talking about the upcoming weather._

 _Harvey glanced up at Mike in confusion, "Snow?" He asked as he glanced outside, clear starry skies- "Where the hell did that came from? Now I really know you need to get some sleep."_

" _Yeah, I guess so. Alright- see you tomorrow." Mike said as he walked out of the office._


	2. Chapter 1

**Today**

With the rusting of sheets, Mike kept rolling around in bed- trying to find a comfortable position. Waking up on his right side, he quickly rolled over onto his back. _Nope._ Onto his left side, _Yeah- no._ Onto his belly- _Never liked that position._ Back unto his favorite right side- _Hell, no._ Mike thought as his entire right side seemed to disagree with him. He glanced at his alarm clock- 05:00 a.m. glaring back at him. So, he was done sleeping… apparently. Waking up a bit more, he seemed to noticed as he still lay on his back that his right leg from foot to hip was aching. Groaning Mike sat up and massaged it a bit- hope to release the tension. As he did so he was staring out of his bedroom window, at first not really looking, but when he blinked a couple of times he squinted his eyes at the brightness. _Was that snow?_ So he was right- when his verbal diarrhea yesterday predicted it. _Well that explained his leg aching- it always acted up when the weather turned cold._

With a groan Mike got out of bed and decided to take hot shower to relieve some of the tension in his muscles. When he was finally done and dressed, he glanced at his watch and… _Shit! It was already 06:30 a.m._ He didn't think he'd been in the shower that long. Quickly throwing on his jacket, scarf and gloves- he grabbed his bag, helmet and bike of its rack and hurried outside. The elevator-less apartment was not agreeing with his leg this morning. Finally, downstairs he was even more shocked to find out that- yes it had snowed over night, but not just a bit- there was at least a foot of snow. The office was normally 30 minutes away from his apartment, but with current conditions… Mike quickly hopped on his bike and started paddling. Hoping he'd reach the firm even remotely on time.

Mike slowed his bike down and stepped of his bike, when he was about 2 blocks away from Pearson Hardman. Normally, riding his bike was good exercise for his leg. But now it wasn't doing him any good- if not doing any worse. He glanced at his watch on the inside of his left wrist and groaned… yeah, he was going to be shit late. He took his bike by the hand and used it as support on his right as he walked, well- let's be honest _limped_ quickly towards the firm.

Locking his bike up, Mike entered the building and _thankfully_ rode the elevator up to the 28th floor- where Harvey's office was.

Donna glanced up from her screen, when her 6th sense indicated a certain puppy finally entering the building. She was to immediately tell him something, when she noticed the puppy limping heavily.

"Mike, are you ok? You're limping." She said concerned for a moment.

Caught off guard, Mike immediately strengthened his pace as he continued towards Donna. "Oh- I'm fine. Just rolled my ankle a bit hopping off my bike- the tiles up front were more slippery than I thought." He lied.

Donna watched Mike for a bit- knowing he was lying. Because Pearson Hardman, didn't do slippery tiles- even if the snow was completely unexpected. _What kind of law firm would they be, if a visitor fell due to slippery tiles? Hello? Law suit waiting to happen._ However, she decided to go along with the puppy- seeing as he was not just a little bit- but a lot late. "You're late." She replied, and she watched Mike make his way towards Harvey's office. "He's not here."

"Wai- what? Where is he?" Mike asked confused, surely Mike was certain that Harvey told him to come to the office.

"I repeat, you're late. Extremely late. We tried calling you- but apparently you forgot your phone again… seriously, with your brain?" Donna asked skeptically.

Mike, for the thousandth time, rolled his eyes as he felt his pockets for his phone, "That's not how it works." He whined, yeah he admits it- he whined. How many times did he have to explain how his eidetic memory worked?

Donna continued, "He's on his way to court, told me to tell you to meet him there. Court starts at 08:00 a.m."

Mike quickly glanced at his watch and groaned, he'd passed court on his way over to the firm- now he had to head back there? "I'm never going to get there on time." Mike replied as he turned around and stead-fast walked back towards the elevators- there was no point aggravating his leg more going down the stairs- because he wasn't going to be faster using them today.

"Wait, you rode your bike?" Donna asked, as she processed the information.

"Yes, Donna. And a cabbie won't be getting me there any faster, so." Mike said as he stepped into the elevator.

Donna frowned, a cab wouldn't be faster. Not in NY rush hour- not in this snow… Harvey should've waited for Mike. She quickly grabbed her phone and hit speed dial. "Donna?"

"Harvey, Mike is on his way to court. But he'll probably be late."

Harvey rolled his eyes, "That kid…"

"Go easy on him, Harvey? He seemed a bit off." Donna replied hesitantly.

"Off? How off? Drugs?" Harvey whispered harshly.

"No. I don't know, just off. He was limping…" Donna replied unsure, she and Harvey had noticed it a couple of times before… that every now and then, Mike limped. But knowing how clumsy Mike was, and the fact that it always seemed minor, _until today_ \- Donna added, they never brought it up.

"Again?" Harvey replied. Donna knew that was concern hinting his question.

"More so than normal."

"Alright, I'll ask him later. Court is about to start- and I'm not in the mood to lose." Harvey replied irritated.


	3. Chapter 2

Mike had decided to walk towards court- with his bike in his hands… because cycling wasn't happening- not with the amount of snow shoved off the streets and onto the bike lanes.

With a quick _and painful_ strut Mike made it to court 5 minutes late. He deposited his bike outside and made his way inside, just at the right time as Harvey was going in. So, he was on time- _thank you, God._

"Harvey!" Mike called out, as he stumbled over towards his partner. He strained himself and swooped up his hair, hopefully regaining his appearance.

Harvey glanced at Mike with a look that said, _Really?_ "I told you to go home and get some rest, how is it possible to look even worse **AND** be late?"

Mike gestured towards the courtroom, "I'm on time."

"You're lucky. That's something else. Here's the file." Harvey said handing over the folder with information, that he'd summarized last night. "Read it quickly and just… don't interfere." Harvey replied irritated as he entered the courtroom, Mike following on his heel albeit a bit slower.

* * *

Mike's attention was, who was he kidding, he had no attention during court. The only attention he had was to his leg, which was giving of vibes that it was going to cramp up any moment now. He tried to sit still, but it was almost impossible and just when he thought it was over, his leg cramped up. Grabbing his thigh, and pressing his foot into the ground- Mike hoped to relieve the cramp. Apparently, he'd made a sound because Harvey had given him a glance, before turning back towards the case.

As his leg slowly seemed to release its tension, Mike became aware of what was going on around him and apparently the opposing party had found something; which meant this case was far from over. Harvey had gotten them another chance to prove their client's case, and they were to meet coming Friday once more.

Harvey was now even more agitated, he exited the courthouse with Mike struggling to keep up. "I need you to look into Delains life, bank accounts, mortgages, everything. We need to get some dirt on this guy." Harvey delegated as he turned around and noticed that Mike was nowhere near him. "What? Mike!"

Suddenly he saw Mike in his peripheral, walking along his bike- seemingly leaning heavily on the bike.

"You rode your bike to court?" Harvey asked annoyed.

Mike, finally annoyed enough, glared at Harvey, "Hey! You didn't call me- to say that court was at 08:00 a.m. I went to the office, passing by this courthouse on my way- only to have Donna tell me, I needed to be here. You know that I take my bike to work… why didn't you call earlier?"

Harvey glared at Mike, "Why can't your amazing brain ever remember to bring your phone?" He retaliated.

Mike groaned and growled out loud, "It doesn't work like that!" – "Eidetic memory works with things I've seen or read. It only works when I want to recall it- or when something jogs the memory. It doesn't help me remember mundane things like a phone!"

"Did you hear anything I just said, because I don't feel like repeating myself." Harvey replied as he continued to walk the few blocks where he knew Ray would be waiting for him, ignoring Mike's outburst. _Seriously, he was such a grumpy puppy sometimes._

"Yeah, I heard- I was right behind you." Mike replied following Harvey.

"Good. I don't want to see you before you've got my loaded gun to end this thing." Harvey said and without another thought he stepped into traffic, only he hadn't seen the upcoming car. It was as if time had slowed down, but it was a no brainer for Mike. Even with his compromised leg; he let go of his bike, stepped forward quickly and grabbed Harvey by the shoulder, his good shoulder… _See! His memory could be good for something!_ – to pull Harvey away from any impending crash- only he hadn't calculated the momentum that would come with it. As he swung Harvey back unto the save curb, due to Harvey's weight (not fat, but built) he simultaneously swung himself unto the road and before he even knew what was happening something- _the car_ – Mike's brain provided, hit Mike and dumped him on the ground.

It all happened so slow, but yet so fast, Mike had a problem with processing what had happened for a moment. Slowly blinking, he heard someone talking to him- but it was muffled.

"…ike? Mike! Come on, kid. You ok?" A man's voice- _Harvey!_ – asked him. He felt someone touching his head and suddenly it stopped on his cheek and it slapped him! Immediately Mike looked into brown eyes that were familiar. "Harvey?"

"Hey Kid, you back with us?" Harvey asked concerned; it seemed forever for Mike to come out of his stupor and recognize Harvey.

"Back? What?" Mike asked, blinking a couple of times more- probably to clear his head when he nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine- I think."

"Stay down, the ambulance is on its way." Harvey told him, as he glanced around to see if it had arrived yet- 'cause he could hear the sirens. It was at that moment that Mike had decided he should probably get up, because there was no way he was going to a hospital. He pushed himself up; which felt weird, but fine, and was about to get up when his leg screamed at him. He groaned, loudly and fell back, grabbing onto his thigh as if that would fix the pain he was feeling.

"Mike! You idiot- I told you to stay down. You were hit by a car, you've probably hurt something." Harvey said as he focused once more on his puppy associate.

Breathing heavily, Mike growled at Harvey, "It's fine."

"The hell it is!" Harvey replied back, shaking his head at the kid. "Mike, listen to me. Stay down, the ambulance is coming, we'll get you checked out."

"I don't… want to…go to the… hospital." Mike got out between shitty breaths. What was going on? The heavy breathing is what got Harvey's attention, he looked over Mike, before looking at him and he just knew. _Panic attack._

Pulling of his own jacket, he wrapped it around Mike- to keep him from going into shock and he sat behind him, chest to back. "Michael, I need you to listen to me. You need to breath, slow and easy. Following my breathing, ok? You need to calm down. Slow… and easy. That's it… you're doing it. Good job, kid." Harvey said softly as he noticed that the ambulance personnel was finally arriving.

"Sir?"

"Harvey."

"I'm Steven, this is Jane. We're here to help. What's his name?"

"Mike."

"Are you family?" Steven asked looking up from whatever he was doing with Mike.

"As close as you'll get." Harvey immediately answered confidently with a _– Don't start shitting with me –_ voice.

"Than you can ride with us, no worries. You did good, Harvey. We'll take care of Mike now, you can let go." Jane said softly, encouraging Harvey that they were in good hands.

Harvey nodded and stepped back, he watched as they placed an oxygen mask on Mike's face, but as soon as he was out of reach Mike panicked. "-arvey?"

Jane glanced at both male's before gesturing towards Harvey to come closer. Harvey did and she spoke, "He seems a bit anxious, I suggest to stay close so he can see you- I don't want his breathing getting any worse." Harvey nodded, and placed his hand on Mike's shoulder. "I'm here, kid."

"—aside from some troubled breathing, due to shock and perhaps some injured ribs, patient is experiencing pain in right leg. There are no obvious injuries, no bleeding. ETA is 3 min." Harvey heard the EMT Steven talk into his radio. _Pain, right leg. The limping!_

"I've seen him limping previously, I don't know if that's any helpful information." Harvey replied softly.

"It is, Harvey. Thank you, do you also know if he's allergic to anything?" Steven asked.

Harvey shook his head, "No, I don't think so."

"Alright, we've got him secured. We're on our way." Jane said as they loaded Mike, who was already on a gurney, into the ambulance. Harvey quickly stepped in.


	4. Chapter 3

As soon as Mike was whisked away, Harvey sat down in the waiting area. _Mike had saved him_. _God, I hope the kid is alright._ Grabbing his phone he pressed his #1 speed dial and waited.

"Harvey, what is going on? Why aren't you back at the office yet. You texted me like 20 minutes ago that you were leaving the courthouse. Oh my god, what happened? Are you ok, is Mike ok? It's Mike isn't it? What happened? – Which hospital are you at?"

 _How does she always know?_ Harvey thought, before answering, "There was an accident, Mike got hit by a car. We're at- Presbyterian."

"I'm on my way, Harvey."

* * *

Once in the hospital, it was a bit easier to breath- although the extra oxygen was probably helping too.

"Mike? I'm going to feel your chest now, alright?"

Mike nodded and he immediately felt hands on his right side first before they went to his left side- and about half way down it started to hurt.

"Ah." Mike groaned as he tried to push the opposing hands away.

"Alright, yeah- sorry. I need to feel them, to check if there's no internal damage." The person- doctor- said before turning to an assistant. "I want x-rays from his left side." Before turning back towards his patient.

"Now, Mike- I have to ask, where does your leg hurt?" The doctor asked.

"Everywhere." Mike replied simply.

"Can you be a bit more specific?" The doctor asked.

"Hip, thigh, knee, lower leg…"

"Alright, so everywhere, basically." The doctor chuckled. "Alright, Mike. I'm just going to cut away your pants, so I can see what I'm dealing with here, ok?"

"Yeah." Mike replied. He felt the scissors move-up his pant leg and before he knew it, it was cut away. Knowing what the doctor would find- Mike decided not to look.

The doctor's eyes widened at the variety of scars that littered across the young man's leg. There were several small ones, but also one large one that ran practically the entire length of his leg- they also seemed very old.

"Alright Mike, I'm not going to touch your leg until I know what's going on here, ok? I'm going to order a couple of X-rays for your leg and your side- and I'm going to order you a drip of painkillers to take the edge off." The doctor said, scribbling away at a work pad. "I'll be right back ok? Do you want your friend to come and give you some company afterwards? He's been asking for you, non-stop. Harvey?"

That got Mike's attention, he looked up surprised at the doctor and nodded, "Yeah, he can come in. Tell him, I'm fine though."

The doctor smiled at his patient, "Now Mike, I can tell him you're going to be alright, but I've never lied to people before and I'm not starting now."

* * *

The familiar clicking of heels is what caught Harvey's attention. "Harvey?!"

"Donna."

"Are you ok? Have you heard anything about Mike yet?" Donna asked as she sat down next to Harvey.

"I'm fine and no. I've been asking, but seeing as I'm not family they're not letting me in." Harvey replied. _Sadly, that was a sad tone for Harvey; which infuriated Donna._ "Oh they'll let you in, watch me." She said as she got up and went towards the desk.

"Excuse me. I'd like to see Mike Ross, please. He's been admitted about 20 minutes ago." Donna asked.

The nurse nodded, "Yes, madam. But unfortunately only relatives can enter the first aid area, and seeing as there…"

Donna held up her hand, "Exactly, there's no family. Mike Ross has no living relatives, but an eldering grandmother with dementia, who can't be here for him other than me and his _**partner.**_ So I suggest you let us in right now or I'm going to file a complaint, that will go to court- you see Mike Ross's partner? Is Harvey Specter, ever heard of him? The best damn closer in Manhattan?"

The nurse stared at Donna, "I'll do my best madam, let me make a phone call with his doctor."

"No need." A male voice was suddenly heard from the hallway. Donna turned around and Harvey had stood up. "Harvey? I heard you were asking about Mike Ross?" He asked.

Harvey nodded, "Yes."

"Well you got through to us, even without your…"

"Donna." Donna filled in.

The doctor nodded, "Donna. We had to go through our preliminary check and Mike's been sent through X-rays. The doctors are checking them now, but Mike's agreed to let you through. I must warn you, he's bruised quite a bit and he's still on some supplementary oxygen, due to heavily- and probably broken- ribs. We'll get you the results and corresponding treatment plans in a few minutes. Mike's in the last cubical to the right."

"Thank you, doctor." Harvey replied as he and Donna made their way towards the last cubical.

They knocked on the door before entering. Mike seemed quite small in the hospital bed, there was a nasal cannula underneath his nose and he was now wearing a hospital gown, but no pants. His left leg was covered by the blanket, but his right leg was left exposed, and wrapped in something blue that was hooked to some tube. Mike looked up from his bed, besides the obvious he seemed awake and aware.

"Hi guys." Mike greeted them, slightly hoarse.

"Oh puppy- you scared us." Donna said as she immediately went over to him and kissed him on the temple.

"I'm fine." Mike replied annoyingly which only received him a look from Donna.

"How are you really feeling, kid?" Harvey asked as he neared the bed as well.

"Well, I'm on some good drugs- legal ones this time- so yeah, I'm fine." Mike chuckled.

Harvey rolled his eyes, "Very funny." He said as he glanced at whatever was going on with Mike's leg.

"It's not your fault." Mike said.

"I know it's not, it's yours- you switched places with me." Harvey replied coolly.

Mike glared at him, "You're welcome by the way." He muttered. "But seriously though, I'm fine."

"You're not." A different voice suddenly said, as they all turned towards the doctor who'd come in. "But you will be."

"What's up, doc?" Mike asked, feeling funny. _Shit, those were good drugs._ Earning himself a glare from Harvey, a slightly amused one, followed by a roll of the eyes as Harvey turned to listen to the doctor.

"Fortunately, nothing bad. But you're just a bit unlucky- seeing as it was your right leg that got caught- which aggravated your injury."

"What injury?" Harvey asked confused as he stared at the doctor.

The doctor turned towards Mike, "They don't know?"

"No, but they would've found out sooner or later… so just continue." Mike replied simply.

The doctor nodded and grabbed the x-rays and presented them on the light box on the wall. What was on them shocked both Harvey and Donna. There were four x-rays that seemed to look like an exoskeleton from The Terminator.

"As you can see. Mike has a lot of metal supporting, if not replacing his actual bones in his right leg. He's had a broken pelvis, femur, tibia and fibula that required external fixation at first and then internal fixation as it was unable to heal enough on its own. But those fixations are probably what's helped you today. There are no fractures found in your entire leg or hip, it's just really deep bone bruising and maybe some muscle or ligament damage, but we can't identify that until the swelling and bruising has gone down." The doctor explained, he shut off the light boxes and turned towards Mike. "That's why we're cooling his leg right now, to avoid any more swelling. Regrettably, the cold compress hurts Mike more than it would other people, that's why we're keeping him here for a couple more hours to help with the pain via Intravenous medication. In 90 minutes or so we can take the cryo cast off. Unfortunately, we do have to immobilize your leg for the following two to three weeks- regardless of the outcome from next week's follow-up, and have you practicing weight on it as we go. I'll get back to you in a couple of hours and have you released by then, ok?"

Mike nodded a bit sullen, "Yeah, ok."

The doctor nodded and turned to Harvey and Donna. "Perhaps you could provide the young man with some clothes, so that he can leave with some dignity. Unfortunately, we had to cut away his clothing and have them destroyed." and with that he left the room. Immediately Donna and Harvey turned towards Mike, their eyes full with worry and perhaps shock?

"Is that.." Harvey asked, as he pointed towards the now black x-rays on the wall. "The reason you limp every now and then?"

Mike glanced up at Harvey in surprise. "You noticed that?"

"Of course, we did." Harvey replied, oblivious to the fact that Mike was uncomfortable with the fact that he had a so-called weakness.

Donna rolled her eyes, "It wasn't that noticeable, but I'm Donna." She added, knowing that would ease the puppy's train of thought.

Mike let go of a breath he didn't really realize he'd been holding. "Yes, it is the reason I limp… I also limp for the same- and almost only reason - as to why they are holding me here longer. Cold weather really hurts, the metal and titanium in my leg grows warm as my body tries to gain a decent temperature- and it'll expand against the bones and surrounding tissue."

Harvey stared at Mike, "That's why you knew it was going to snow." He said softly within his epiphany.

Mike nodded and breathed out softly as he settled a bit more against the cushions- exhaustion hitting him all of a sudden.

"Get some rest, Mike. Donna will get you your clothes from your apartment – and you'll be out of here before you know it."

* * *

 **That's it, hope you enjoyed it. Please feel free to give any comment! :D**

 **To give you an indication on what the X-rays showed, here are a couple of photos I found via google.**

Tibia:  wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/X_ray_internal_fixation_leg_ /220px-X_ray_internal_fixation_leg_ 

Ankle/ fibula:

/content/image/1-s2. 

Femur:

/8XCZWNG

Pelvis:

/images/VnsE7M


	5. Chapter 4

"Mike? Wake up- the doctor is back." Harvey said as the doctor and an assistant came in.

"5 more minutes." Mike mumbled, making Harvey smirk.

"Up and at 'em, puppy." Harvey said once more as he saw that Mike was becoming once again more aware of his surroundings. He was moving suddenly but then groaned as he remembered- or felt- the injuries he'd sustained.

"Easy." Harvey replied as the doctor came near.

"I'm glad you've gotten some rest, Mike. We're here to get that cryo cast off and fit you with a brace." The doctor said as the nurse got to work on removing the cryo cast. As she started removing it, Harvey was shocked to see the number of scars that littered Mike's leg. He'd seen the x-rays but to see the actual damage was another thing.

"Sight for sore eyes, right?" Mike replied distantly.

"I'm more in awe of the fact that your leg is still attached to your body." Harvey replied without thinking.

Mike glanced up at him in shock, but the doctor quickly intervened. "Young ones heal the best, but I must say Mike's recovery is remarkable. I've never seen a case as extensive as his- that didn't leave a more noticeable handicap."

"How old were you?" Harvey asked hesitantly.

"Not here." Mike replied cold and quick. Before looking at Harvey with… _were that tears in his eyes?_ "I'll tell you later. Just not here"

"Ok, that's fine."

"Alright, well luckily no more new swelling. It's still quite swollen, so I'm going to prescribe some icepacks to help with the swelling. You should keep your leg elevated throughout the first week for as much as possible, no weight bearing at all until your next follow-up. I've prescribed a hinged knee brace, it will minimally cover your leg- but provide enough stability for your injury without having to cast it. I've ordered it to be locked in a 120-degree angle, so that when you walk you'll be unable to set your right foot on the ground."

"How will he walk?" Harvey asked confused.

"With crutches, of course."

At that right moment a nurse entered Mike's cubicle with a large device. "Ah, right on time. Nurse Jacky here will help you with the brace and show you how to put it on and remove it. I'll see you next week Mike, take care." The doctor said as he shook Mike's hand.

"Alright Mike, you ready?" Nurse Jack asked as she glanced at Harvey.

"Should I go, or…?" Harvey asked consciously.

"Actually, it might be good for someone, besides Mike, to watch how the brace works. I heard you were his partner? You'll be able to check that Mike will follow his doctor's orders." The nurse said, oblivious to Mike's blushing – and will to intervene that Harvey was not his partner, but his boss.

"I agree." Harvey replied with a look at Mike, knowing that his associate was a lot of things, but a stickler for rules he was not.

"Alright. Now first I'm going to slide on a compression sock, it will help with the swelling and provide some stability, but also prevent chafing of the brace." Nurse said as she maneuvered Mike's leg upwards, making him groan in pain.

"Sorry, I know it hurts." She immediately said, slipping on the sock that went from Ankle to his hip.

"I thought he was on pain meds?" Harvey asked looking a bit uncomfortable with Mike being in pain.

"He is, but only light ones. As soon as his leg is in the brace and he's resting, the pain will diminish, but we can't put him on heavy painkillers- because we still don't know if there's any ligament or muscle damage. That's why we've booked him a check-up next week, so that hopefully most of the swelling will be gone and we can take a better look at his leg." Jacky said as she prepared the brace, which was now a webbing of fabric and metal. "Alright, I'm going to lift your leg up once more and slide the brace in underneath."

Mike nodded and tried to relax as much as he could, knowing pain would follow, but luckily the nurse was good at her job and quickly slid the brace underneath his leg. "Alright, now it looks difficult but it's not really that hard. The most important thing to remember is…"

"… the order of the closings and the right settings." Mike continued for her- almost unaware of what he had said but blushing once more when Harvey looked up at him in surprise.

"This leg has been in its fair share of braces." Mike shrugged.

"That is correct." Jack continued, as she explained. "First the top then the bottom, then the 2nd from the top and the third last. Make sure the dial is aligned with your knee- and make sure its snug but not too tight. I'm going to adjust the brace now to fit your leg, but seeing as there is still enough swelling, you're going to have to check it and adjust it every day as the swelling hopefully goes down, okay?"

Mike nodded, "Yes."

"Okay." Jacky said as she started to adjust the straps and put them snugly around Mike's leg. "Alright all done. Wasn't that difficult now was it? Now the next thing is range of motion. Like your doctor said, when your resting I want it just like it is now 180 degrees out flat. This keeps your leg in its most straight position for healing, I also want you to lock your brace whenever it's in this position, with this little button here on either side. This will prevent you from moving your leg around too much when you move or whilst asleep. Now when you're going to walk, which mind you- you shouldn't be doing much during this first week, only when you have to go somewhere or whilst needing the bathroom or a shower- the doctor has ordered a 120-degree angle. Which is just slightly off of 180, so that your foot can't touch the ground when walking. This will prevent you from using your leg or bearing any weight on it." Jacky said as she turned the brace towards 120 degrees and locked it in place. Now, we know that sometimes keeping a straight leg will make the leg cramp up – seeing as it's not a natural angle. So, you're allowed to keep the leg in this angle, whilst resting on bed or watching tv or something- but make sure to stuff a pillow underneath your knee to keep any tension away from your leg, okay? Everything clear?"

"Yes." Mike replied with a slight grimace.

"Okay, now you probably have crutches at home… but I'm giving you these for today- they are fore-arm crutches—which will relieve some tension from your upper body and won't give your fractured ribs any grieve. Let's get you up slowly and adjust these to your height." Jacky said as she helped Mike sit up and gain his bearings.

"I'm okay." Mike said as he nodded to continue. He got up on his left leg and found his balance pretty easily. Jacky adjusted the crutches height and offered them to Mike. "Have you used these before?" she asked.

Mike nodded, "Yeah, tried them both."

"Then this will be much easier, take a few steps for me around the room and then sit back down on the bed, please." Jacky asked as she watched Mike crutch around the room and very carefully position his behind back on the gurney.

"Perfect. You're good to go- you can get dressed and I'll come and fix your release papers for you in a few. Would you need some help getting dressed?"

Mike shook his head, "No, I've got it."

"Okay, I'll be back in a second."

Mike deposited his crutches against the wall before slowly turning towards Harvey and the bag of clothing Donna had dropped off whilst he had been asleep. "Donna brought you some clothes, but your normal pants probably won't fit you right now. So, I suggest going for sweatpants."

Mike glanced up at Harvey in shock – "I'm not going to show up at Pearson Hardman wearing sweatpants. Jessica would kill me."

Harvey glared at Mike, "You're not going to Pearson Hardman, period. Mike, you're injured and I'm pretty sure you can remember that the doctor said you needed to rest. I'm dropping you of at home."

Mike wanted to protest, but Harvey held up his hand, "Do you need help with getting dressed?" Harvey asked, even though the nurse had asked just minutes ago.

Without replying Mike started to struggle into sweatpants, he was- surprisingly limber- and was able to slip the pants on his immobilized leg with some fortunate maneuvering but reaching his foot for a pair of socks was just out of his reach… Harvey stepped forward to help but Mike pulled away, wincing as it hurt his ribs. "I can do it."

"You probably can, but I'm not going to waste my time- which will be my money- waiting for you to put your socks on. Now come on, it's just one sock you can do the other." Harvey said as he grabbed Mike's sock and quickly slipped it on his right foot. "There, finish getting dressed, I'll get your release papers."

Brace:

/images/MdoxWm


End file.
